Under way

It's not even the end of January yet and so far I've posted about 25% as many times as I posted all last year (part of my new math skills).

I was getting excited that I was approaching my 100th post since I started this thing in May of 2010 but then I went though and deleted some of the drafts of musing I started  and never finished (be glad, it was pure rubbish) and the number of actual post dropped down to the high 80s. 

Even though February is a short month, (although one day longer than most years, Happy Anniversary Mike and Laura) I'd like to see if I can get into triple digits.  With the right amount of love, encouragement, beer and other stimulants, I think I can, I think I can...

Just another New Year's Eve

Like a lot of people, we spent New Year's Eve with some good friends counting our blessings and trying to light a Christmas tree on fire.  The burning Christmas tree has become a tradition around here and is the brain child of Chris Flaherty, who has engineered the proceedings for the last few years.

The weather this New Year's eve day was so nice Chris rode his bike here the 33 miles from his house. He's done it a few times but this time he came across a bridge that was unexpectedly out for repair so he had to wade across a stream carrying his bike and his pants over his head.  In the middle of the stream the frigid water got unexpectedly deep and ended up soaking his undies so he was free balling when he got here.

He couldn't bring the Christmas with him on the bike (his wife Sue brought it later in the evening) but he did bring his bag of ropes and pulleys and I helped him rig up the line on which the tree would hang. This required a lot of precision and just the right amount of beer.  Once the tree arrived we spent some time adhering the candles to the branches with wire. Even My nephew got into the festivities. Here he is trying to light the tree on fire using fireworks because the candles just weren't getting the job done.




The big finish for the evening  was also provided by the Flaherty's.  They brought along their 30 year old microwave oven and we proceeded to do all the things you're not supposed to do with a micro wave. First we put an incandescent light bulb in which didn't spark but it did rhythmically flash on and off. We cooked whole eggs until they popped.  Then at midnight we added about 3 dozen sparklers and the ensuing fire is what finally did the old Whirlpool in.  I tried to get video but my camera kept crapping out.  Chris's daughter Katie recorded most of it on her new iPad but I haven't been able to get hold of the files yet.

So, here is the scene in our back yard on New Years Day.  All in all, a great start to what we all hope will be a great year, if not the end of the world.

Getting a little ahead

This one has been kicking around ever since taking a math class became a reality. I've had one class so far and it's not as bad as I remember. Maybe things in math have gotten better in the last 30 years.  I know I haven't.

It's not all about me

This time.

Here is a drawing I got in a thank you note from my nieces in Rhode Island.  It was done by young Madison who is 11 years old (I think).  Nice work.  I think I'll farm next years calendar out to her.  I like how she covered the holidays well into spring.  No sense wasting a lot of postage.

Weak #3

This came to me when I was on vacation earlier this month. There's never enough hours in a day.

week 3

Treasure from the coast

Here is the important stuff I brought home from my vacation in Florida.  Strangely the soundtrack is  not from any of the disks shown.  The best find of the week was the Beth Hart Band disk and the biggest surprise was the Charo.  That bitch can play some guitar! The biggest disappointment is the Kikker Swinst. the music is okay but there is someone telling a story in Dutch throughout that gets kind of distracting.  Looks like I'll have to take a Dutch class next semester.

It once was lost

Niles Lofgren

But now it's found.  My little beat up point and shoot Casio camera has been missing for the past month or so which means I didn't have it through Christmas, New Years and my recent vacation in Florida. One of the worst parts was I was also missing the picture files on the card in it, which included the photos from the Niles Lofgren concert I went to with my friend MJ in November.

Well, after a month of fretting and threatening to buy a replacement camera, yesterday when I was vacuuming under our bed, guess what I found.  No worse for the wear, but covered in the usual patina of dog hair that seems to spread itself over everything in our house. The Casio was recovered safe and sound.

Now, presenting the long lost (well, maybe not so long) pics from the Lofgren show.  Let me start by saying that it was very impressive.  He's a great guitarist (hey, that's why Springsteen uses him) and he has a unique voice that is kind of warm and buttery.  He's no slouch as a song  writer either and he mentioned that he's been on the road, on and off, for the last 40 years.  I don't know if it's released or not yet, but he had a crew filming one song that was going to be the single from his new album. He added a little theatrics for the video and it was kind of cool to think that a video shot at the Rams Head may end up on MTV or VH1 or wherever they play videos now days.

He did actually open the show by playing the harp and I don't mean blues harp. Then they trucked it out again for the video shoot.  Not an instrument you see or hear in a lot of today's music. One of the things he does best though is play the guitar and you my not be able to tell from my shitty little video clip but he can really tear it up.  MJ has seen Niles before, playing with The E Street Band but was surprised and impressed with his solo work.  It won't be a chore for me to find someone to go with the next time he comes to town.

Can you hear me now?

Music to cook by

It was a project that Chris and I had talked about for a long time and this fall it finally came to pass.  The mud oven is going on four years old and whenever we'd celebrate a mud oven feast my special job was to take the stereo receiver and the speakers out of the basement and set them up outside around the oven to make everything just a little bit better.  In hindsight it may have only been important to Chris and I but it means enough to install permanent (in the scheme of things) speaker post and wires to make my job that much easier.

Light Beer

And for those late evenings spent around the mud oven Chris has added a host of candle holders to light up the night. At least enough so I don't drunkenly trip and fall over something. The candles are also helpful in keeping track of the bottle opener because friends don't let friends use twist-offs. I'll have more about the power of candles coming soon in my New Years round up post.

Not soon enough

I doubt I'm the only one who noticed but there is only 100 more years until 2112.  Just something to look forward to.

Weak 2

Here it is, the second installment of what may turn into a great big pain in the ass, but I'm going to try to keep going anyway. Like most of my strips this is at least loosely based on real life experiences. Enjoy.

2012, The Long Version

From our recent visit to 

the

Newseum in DC

Anyone who would be interested in reading this I can only assume got the slick, new, hot off the copier, 2012 calendar. Now Everything Goes @ Once (patent pending) goes where it's never gone before.  This year, 2012, I plan on posting something cartoon-like at least once a week (I also plan on dropping another 10 lbs, but that might not happen either). This may or may not relate the the calendar itself but I've been sniffing a lot of lead recently (or is it graphite?) and I'm feeling ambitious, so watch your step.  I know that my humor is not for everyone, or maybe even anyone, but I wanna do it anyway.  If you see anything you like, feel free to pass it around.  I'm no Stephen Bolton but I'll try to make it look like something.

Here's the first stab.  please excuse my messiness and poor spelling.  Some of this will be taken straight from the sketchbook.